The U.S. Military Academy-Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadet Command Military History Fellowship

L&llt H . Belk na p and Kim M . Juntunen

In June ofnd! year tre Cepa"",Cf!! of HiSlO1'y It the U.S. Milit.1ry Academy (US MA) conducts an

viewed their month at West Point as extn:mely usdul in the preparation or 1hcir p.cscnt course offerings.

inlen;ive four_week military_hi$tory pon of the Reserve

program ror civilian These scssioos Ire in $UP Training CO!p8 (ROTC)

Cadet CommMld'S Military History Education Pro

&ram. Thi,

(2-28 June) twcnty-!hree

civilian profeWlB, along with thra: Air Fon:e and

Annyrommand

pmicipated in the USMA

ROTC Military lIistOl)' Fellowsllipheld It We$! Poin\.

TIle daily program for the fcHows consisted of morning. ancmoon. and Opliunal evening TIle three·hourmominG session. led by USMA history faculty members. introduced 1hc civilian pmfes..<;(lI'!; to the major periods of military history. Although \he sessions focused on the American military experience. topics also included early modem European mitiury development. Napoleonic warfare. and the develop

As _joiN venture between the Military Atatk:my and TDining and Doctrine Command (J'RADOC), the ROTC Worl<shop (n:1\aIl1Cd Fellowship in 1990) emerged In 198 1 IS I program to improve the format

ment of interwar

and airpowtr doctrine..

TIle morninG sessions took pbee in small cllSSl'OOIll groups ofnomore than founeen rclloW$. which raeili· tiled discunion iIlIlong them and the: fa.cuhyml'l'l'lbers.

of futun: rommissioncd officers' military edu cadon. AlthouJ:h mililary history instruakln t...di tklnally has been an im ponant pan of the ROTC cu rriculum. befon: 1981 the active duty members of the ROTC cadn: laught the milit:ll')' hiMory menl. AlthouJ:h al the timc many competent and energetic orrlCCl'S had taught the militlry hi$tory n:. quln:mcnt, I oomber of civilian coUe:agues It univer.

TIle 2 l(2·houraftemoon SC5sion fcalun:d presen·

tations rel ating to the morninll sc!lllion topies by

ina civilian or uni formed military historians. followcd by an opllonal hour-IOflg question and answer period. TIle questIon and answer pcriud the fellows an oppon unity to meet and talk with .'lOme of the most

(I) not all universities had

then: WIIS nocoru;en.,us ahout whal should be the scope of this military history Instruction. To help alleviate

cently returned from OESEIlT S'mRM. Although lhese sessions were Optional. most of the fellows allcndcd them .

An il1legral pan of the fellowship is die

these and other

tre TRADOC staff i..llked

the IXpanmenlof History at the Miliu l)I AcademylO oondUCI a fou r· 10 sil_weck won:shopin military his_ tory for civilim history professors.

Over the last ten years

than 400 civilWi

hi510ry profes..VlI'l representin1 over 300 acadcmk: institutions Iuvc:.ncndcd the USM....·RO'rC M11l1ary ItiStory Fellowship. A recent survey orthc:5c Illen· decs n:v-ellJed that of those n:spondlng to the suf\lcy (neat1 y SO percenl).over 85 pe=!II cu rTtrltl Y0 ITer one orm()re courses in military history. In relrospccl. most